Houston right choice for Texas attorney general

SAN ANTONIO — After 12 years as Texas’ Attorney General, Greg Abbott is vacating his post as the state’s top lawyer at the end of the year.

Voters will choose his successor in the Nov. 4 election. We strongly urge Texans to elect Democrat Sam Houston, a native of Colorado City who has practiced law in Houston for 26 years.

Houston faces Republican state Sen. Ken Paxton, a McKinney lawyer. The Express-News reported that Paxton “admitted in May to referring clients to a North Texas investment firm without registering with state authorities as required by law. The Texas State Securities Board reprimanded Paxton and fined him $1,000, concluding that he violated state securities law in 2004, 2005 and 2012.”

The episode was a dominant theme for Paxton’s GOP primary runoff opponent and is being emphasized by Democrats this fall. A watchdog group filed a complaint with the Travis County district attorney’s office. Travis County prosecutors wisely will not consider the complaint prior to the Nov. 4 election.

Whether the issue results in a criminal investigation or not, the case raises disturbing ethical questions about Paxton. We believe voters should take this blemish on Paxton’s record seriously as they consider who should be the state’s top lawyer.

Additionally, the ultra-conservative Paxton is excessively ideolgical to be the type of attorney general the state needs.

If Houston is elected, he plans to focus on the day-to-day work that affects Texans’ lives and depoliticize the office. Houston has vowed to uphold Texas open records laws and manage the office’s child support division properly and fairly.

Houston would end the frivolous serial litigation against the federal government that Abbott pioneered and Paxton supported. Instead, Texans would have a top lawyer who would tackle problems with an independent point of view.